To shave or not to shave is a personal decision. However, those who do shave or any other hair removal methods have probably heard that shaving causes hair to grow back thicker and denser! So, what’s the deal? Is this true or false? We have the answer!
What is hair structure?
Firstly, hair is produced by the dermis (the middle layer of our skin). The dermis generates the hair bulb that develops into a hair shaft. This shaft, which grows out of the bulb, emerges from the epidermis and consists of three layers: the cortex, the medulla, and the cuticle, all following the same life cycle. Does shaving the hair, meaning cutting it and leaving the bulb intact, change its nature?
Is it better to shave or wax?
Shaving your body involves cutting the hair at skin level for a smooth finish. On the other hand, waxing involves pulling the hair out from its bulb, from the root. Therefore, regrowth will be much slower since the hair has been plucked, not just cut. The bulb remains active and will produce a new hair, but it takes time. While waxing can result in less frequent hair removal, it’s a notably more painful method. As for the primary question: shaving your hair does not necessarily mean it will grow back thicker. So, where does this belief come from?
According to Futura Sciences magazine, our hormones are actually the ones controlling this! The notion that hair grows back faster or thicker post-shaving stems from adolescence, the time of the first shaves. As puberty enhances hair growth, when we shave and hairs grow back during this period, it might seem like they’ve returned thicker and faster. Yet, as per the magazine, it’s simply puberty and hormones at work. Thus, if you feel that your hair is pricklier or stiffer, it’s primarily because you’ve given it a clean cut. As hair grows, it wears down, and its end becomes thin and flexible. But if you cut off the tip of the hair and only keep its base, it will certainly seem thicker.
